Eccles Cakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1/4 cup juice from 1 orange
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 pound puff pastry, thawed if frozen
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions

1. Set an oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a small saucepan, stir together the raisins, brandy, orange juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar, then set it over medium low heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cook until the raisins have swollen and the liquid has been taken up, about 7 minutes. Set the filling aside until it reaches room temperature.
2. Open out the puff pastry. With round biscuit cutters, stamp out ten 2-inch circles and ten 2 1/2-inch circles. Spoon a small mound of filling onto the center of each smaller pastry circle, then brush the edges with egg. Cover each one with a larger pastry circle and press around the edges to close them.
3. Brush the filled cakes with the beaten egg. Arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. With a small paring knife or kitchen shears, make three steam vents in the top of each cake.
4. Bake in the heated oven until the pastry has puffed and turned golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.